Phoenix, Son of Wonder Woman
by Galvatream
Summary: What if Dick Grayson was adopted by Wonder Woman. Enter Phoenix, protégé of Wonder Woman and Champion of the gods. See his journey as he works with The Team in their struggle against Ares and his six children, Vengeance, Rage, Anger, Hatred, Manipulation and Deception and prevent a the third world war while The Light takes a back seat.
1. The Team

_He leaned up in a small ball, tears slowly falling from his eyes. He didn't understand why, why they had to die. Why the world took them from him. Any amount of comfort was barely enough to keep him calm, nothing the other children did cheered him up. He, a five year old child, was left without his parents and now rested within the Gotham City Children's Orphanage. His uncle had died of a heart attack the year before, and the next closet thing he had an to uncle was the Circus master, Jack Haly, who was no in a state of shock that his circus had closed down. So, __with now where to go, Dick Grayson had been left at the Orphanage with no hope of ever having a family again._

_A knock upon his room door drew his attention towards one of the orphanage ladies._

"Richard, someone's here to take you home."_ She said calmly._

_Dick made no attempt to move, but instead remained firmly planted upon his bed. The lady shook her head and walked in and placed a hand upon his shoulders._

"She's a lovely young woman Richard."_ She said._

_Dick lifted his head slightly and nodded lightly. He began to move and pack what little he had. Still unable to comprehend how much he'd lost in a single night, he made his way down to the central lobby where the woman in question stood. She was tall and fair-skinned. Black hair tied back into a ponytail with blue eyes. She wore a black jacket with a brown shirt beneath it and dark blue jeans. She stood silently, watching Dick with interest as he walked forward._

"Richard, my name's Diana Prince. I'm adopting you."_ She introduced._

_Dick nodded and followed her outside. The two were quick to approach a small red sportscar. Diana was quick to open the door for Dick who climbed in. Helping him strap in, she quickly got into the drivers seat and started the car. Driving forwards, she glanced up into the rearview mirror._

"How are you feeling?"_ She asked._

_Dick shrugged his shoulders and kept silent. Diana took that as sign that he wasn't ready and decided not to push to far. To let him recover from the shock of the deaths._

* * *

_The drive onwards was filled with a tense silence for a good part of the hour. The only sound was that of the car and other cars around them. Gotham City had since then, become a blur in the distance behind them as they drove outwards. Dick had fallen asleep several hours ago, and Diana knew that things were going to be different for him when they reached Themyscira._

* * *

_To say Dick was shocked when he awoke on a plane was an understatement. He was confused as hell. He had no idea where they were going, or why they were on a plane. So, with a deep breath, he spoke._

"Where are we going?"_ He asked._

_Diana turned her head slightly and flashed a small smile at him. Dick could see the joy in her, and so, smiled back._

"To Themyscira, where I grew up."_ She replied. Not a single hint of her betraying her double life as Wonder Woman to Dick. For all intents and purposes, he was now her son. While not blood, she would still love him and care for him as if he was her own blood child._

_Dick blinked before he slowly put together the bits of the puzzle when he noticed that the plane they were flying in was invisible on the outside._

"You're Wonder Woman!"_ He said with enthusiasm and a small amount of interest._

_Diana smirked and chuckled._ "Of course I am. And we're about to see my family, and where you'll be living for the next few years while I get some housing sorted out back in the world of man."_ She replied._

_Dick realised suddenly, that this was going to be a good life._

* * *

_Dick flipped backwards as he dodged another spear. A small smile upon his lips as he landed on both his feet and kicked back at his fellow student._

"Good Richard!"_ The instructor yelled out to him._

_Dick smirked and quickly worked to take down his designated opponent. With a few well placed blows, he sent her to the ground._

"You were attempting to really harm me Donna."_ He said as he held his hand out to his best friend._

_Donna Troy grabbed it and allowed Dick to help her to her feet. Her black hair was loose against her back. A black, sleeveless outfit covered her body. Her skin was fair and her eyes a bright blue._

"Well, how else was I going to take you down champion of the gods."_ She replied back with a chuckle, punching him in the shoulder._

_Diana stood by the side, watching with her mother and the instructor at the friendly banter going on between the two friends. She held pride for how she'd raised Dick in the past five years. With a smile, she made her way over to the two._

"Dick, it's time."_ She said._

_Donna blinked in confusion and looked at Dick._ "What does she mean by 'it's time'?"_ She asked._

_Dick sighed and looked at the ground._ "I'm meeting the Justice League today, to get a good idea of them, and to see my room when Diana's off-world."_ He responded._

_Donna nodded and smirked._ "Good luck."_ She said with a smile and walked away._

* * *

"Recognised Wonder Woman 0-2, Dick Grayson A-0-4"_ The computerised female voice announced as the two walked out of the Zeta Tube._

_Dick marveled at the Watchtower, his eyes taking in the view of Earth at once._

_Diana stood back, watching with pride as Dick raced from one side of the central chamber to the other, taking in the view from orbit. She could see the joy in his face._

"Diana, who's this?"_ A rough voice asked from behind. Turning her head, she caught a glimpse of the man dressed in black and grey._

_His black cape hanging behind him and his white eyes narrowed like always. The black bat-symbol on his chest stood out as he came to a stop by her side._

"Nice to see you too Bruce."_ She replied sarcastically._

_The Dark Knight raised an eyebrow._

"Dick, come and meet Batman."_ Diana called out__, letting out a laugh as he rushed over to meet The Dark Knight._

"Didn't know you were into taking in children Diana."_ The Dark Knight said._

_Diana shook her head._ "He's been with me for five years Bruce, just like you've had Tim."_ She said._

_Bruce shook his head as Dick finished observing him. The rest of the League was quick to arrive. The three founding members stood together, watching as Dick interacted with the other members. Diana took note of who he got along well with, and who he didn't get along well with._

_She noted that Dick tended to hang around the girls and magicians more then he did the boys. But he did seem to have a long chat with Hal Jordan's protégé, Jessica Cruz. The two seemed to get along well. And she knew that one day, Dick will see her again._

* * *

"Recognised Wonder Woman 0-2, Phoenix B-0-9"_ The computerised female voice announced as the two similar outfitted heroes walked forward._

_Phoenix wore a red sleeveless armour plate over his chest. Two silver bracelets rested upon his forearms with fingerless black gloves. His chest plate took inspiration from his mentor with a golden W upon his upper chest. He wore a smaller gold W down by his waist which was covered by a silver belt. He had two dark blue skirts resting upon each side of waist. He wore black pants with silver boots and gold knee pads. He wore a cape that was dark blue on the outside and white on the inside. He also had two gold shoulder pads. His mask was small and revealed much of his face to the outside world, but held enough to keep it different. His mask was outlined with gold and had mostly silver for the colour. It also only covered the front of his face._

_Phoenix, aka Dick Grayson, glanced around the chamber of Mount Justice. He was now thirteen and was about to join The Team. The first thing his eyes set sights upon were the members. He quickly deduced who was who from their appearance, and who their mentor was._

_He caught wind of Robin, dress in primarily red, he wore black pants with red sleeves. His cape was similar to Batman but had yellow on the inside while black remained on the outside. His gloves also resembled those worn by Batman, they were spiked and his R was stylised._

_He eyed Kid Flash, dressed in yellow and red, protégé of Flash._

_Aqualad dressed in a red sleeveless shirt with an almost blackish blue pants with two fins upon the back. He was the protégé of Aquaman._

_He noticed Jessica Cruz and made a small node at her. She wore her Green Lantern ring and the outfit that came with it._

_He then eye the male in a black T-shirt and grey pants with a red S upon his chest. Superboy, that was his name. The clone that Superman continued to pretend didn't exist._

_Another Martian, Miss Martian, she dress in white with dark blue. He'd seen her briefly before, but that was all. She was Martian Manhunter's niece._

_He then eyed the female archer dressed in green. Her belly was exposed and her outfit was sleeveless. Artemis, the latest protégé of Green Arrow._

_He knew them all. He then eyed the League Members who stood by. Batman and Wonder Woman stood close to each other, Black Canary stood by Red Tornado and behind them stood Flash._

"Team, this is your newest member, Phoenix."_ Batman said as he eyed the team. _

_Kid Flash was quick to speak._ "Phoenix, I've never heard of him before, are you sure he's even a hero?"

_Dick narrowed his eyes and spoke._ "Last I checked Flash Boy, I was helping Superman take down Metallo."

_Superboy glanced at Dick. Annoyed that he wasn't able to help his "father". But he had done his research with Batman and knew that Metallo was powered by a Kryptonite core, so he wouldn't have done much._

"The name's Kid Flash, not Flash Boy."_ Kid Flash spat back._

_Dick chuckled._ "Oh, I know Flashy."_ He replied with a small smirk._

_Kid Flash waved his arms in the air in annoyance and walked away, muttering under his breath._

_Dick then turned to face the rest of the team. The others walked forward and introduced themselves by name and identity._

_Jessica Cruz soon walked up and Dick smirked._ "It's good to see you again Jessica."_ Dick greeted._

_Jessica nodded._ "You too Phoenix."_ She relied before walking out to find Miss Martian._

_Dick then approached Artemis._ "And you are?"_ He asked._

_Artemis looked at him and her heart melted. She quickly shook away her thoughts._ "Artemis."_ She replied._

_Dick smiled._ "Named after the Goddess Artemis?"_ Dick asked._

_Artemis raised an eyebrow._ "No, I'm not named after the mythological Goddess."_ She answered._

_Dick chuckled._ "The Greek Gods aren't myth Artemis, but I do know another Artemis, though much older then."_ Dick said._

_Artemis rolled her eyes and narrowed them when Wally spoke about her. Dick could immediately that Wally irritated her. Something that he was good at avoiding. And so, with a smirk, walked with her to see what Wally was up to. Leaving the League members to watch with interest._

* * *

**A secondary story that I need to get out of my head. This is not related to Nightwing: Shadows of The Past, Present and Future, but set in another universe. This is based upon the idea that Dick Grayson was adopted by Wonder Woman instead of Bruce Wayne. Also, the Robin in this universe is Tim Drake. Jessica Cruz is an addition to The Team and is one of the four founding members alongside Robin, Kid Flash and Aqualad, the latter two are still Wally West and Kaldur. Superboy and Miss Martian are still the same characters and so is Artemis.**

**There is both an Amazon and Greek Goddess named Artemis, thus the mention of the two. The Greek Goddess Artemis is the Goddess of the hunt, wilderness, animals and young girls, but is also associated with bows and arrows.**

**The reason behind the hero name of Phoenix for Dick has multiple meanings, first, it's still a bird, second, it ties into Greek Mythology, and third, the Phoenix can be reborn.**

**Dick relationship with the Greek Gods will be explored throughout the story while they contend with the antagonists of the story.**

**A trashed appearance of Dick as Phoenix was to include a helmet similar to Ares and a full set of armour that covered his arms. This was scrapped in favour of a more simplistic appearance. Any powers that Dick has will also be explored later on in the book, but they come with a twist. I wonder what they could be?**


	2. The God of War

_Six figures walked into a dimly lit chamber, the stone brick walls illuminated by the flames of the many torches lighting the chamber. Chains hung from the ceiling while swords and axes decorated the walls. Sitting at the end of the chamber, upon a throne of swords and skulls, sat the God of War. His helmet sat upon his head, allowing only his glowing crimson red eyes to show through the T shaped cut out. Three spikes rested upon either side of the helmet with two larger horns expanding out from either side. The fabric like crest fell backwards like a roman helmet, with the fabric widening as it came to his neck. His dark deep blue cape rested below him as he sat upon the throne, skulls made up his forearm armour and his gauntlets were covered in metal. A small armoured skirt rested around his waist while his shin armour covered up to his knees. Upon his left side, rested a sword. The blade was black while the hilt remained a dark deep blue. At the bottom of the hilt was a small skull. He wore a black fabric to cover his body beneath the armour, the chest plate was dark deep blue, further matching his theme._

"You came on time my children."_ He said in a dark, rough voice. Red eyes narrowed upon the six children of war._

_The leader of the children stepped forward. His colour scheme consisting primarily of a dark purple with black backing it up. The inside of his tattered cape was this dark purple with the outside a deep black. His dark purple mask moved with his crimson red eyes. Upon his back, rested two escrima stick. A dark purple tipping both ends of them. Upon his waist was a dark pule belt with a single V. His upper thighs held two holsters while strapped across his chest as a row of ammo for his duel pistols. His gauntlets each held two curved spikes which were attached by dark purple rope._

"My lord and father. We have come to serve you as our purpose demands."_ He said swiftly._

"Fast to greet meet with respect, Vengeance."_ The God of War said._

_Another of the children stepped forward. He wore crimson red and black. His mask, like Vengeance, only covered his crimson eyes. The inside of his cape was red, with the outside black. His hood was also black. His outfit was somewhat similar to Robins, on the left of his upper chest sat an R. His gauntlets, much like Vengeance, had two curved spikes. On his back, was a sword. It's hilt housing a red skull. His boots and gauntlets were black while the rest was red. He wore a small strap across his body allowed his sword to remain in place._

"As Vengeance said, we are here to carry out you commands."_ He said, the rage in his tone labeled him immediately._

"With rage, you are unmatched, Rage."_ The God of War commented._

_The third soon stepped forward. Her outfit was black and a vermillion orange. Unlike Vengeance and Rage, she had no mask, but her hood covered most of her face. Allowing only her four crimson eyes to be seen. From the sides of her hood, two vermillion orange horns extended. Her shoulders revealed her bare skin while downwards was vermillion orange clothing. She had a small vermillion orange skirt with black clothing covering her legs. She wore black boots while the outside of her cape was black, the inside was vermillion orange. Centred in her chest, was an A._

"I will cause anger to rise in those who dare stand in your way father."_ She said angrily._

"Never show compassion to your foes, Anger."_ The God of War said._

_The fourth of the six soon stepped forward. Her outfit was a bluish colour with black. Her mask covered most of her face with three points extruding from the top of it. Crimson red eyes glowed brightly. She had long dark green hair that flowed freely along her back. The inside of her cape a bluish colour while the outside was black. Upon her back were two black swords with skulls at the bottom of the hilts. A strap coved over her body in two ways. Her arms were bare with bracelets similar to both Wonder Woman and Phoenix resting by her hands. She also wore an armoured skirt in the bluish colour. Her small belt was black and so were her boots. Just below where the cape attached below her neck, sat a H._

"I hate all who oppose you father."_ She said hatefully._

"Let that hate fuel you, Hatred."_ The God of War said._

_The fifth soon stepped forward. His outfit was a dark deep blue and black. He had no cape, but his outfit covered his whole body. In place of his hands, were two sharp swords. He wore black boots with his mask having black detailing among the dark deep blue. At the centre of his chest was an M._

"Let those who don't seem like a threat kill them all."_ He said._

"Manipulative people are always the most interesting, aren't they, Manipulation?"_ The God of War asked._

_The final member of their group stepped forward. His colours was an olive like green and black. Two blasters sat above his shoulders, a small pod of energy rested at the centre of his chest with four tubes extruding from it. Each coming around to meet a small power pack on his back. He wore an olive green set of armour with black filling in the gaps. His helmet was a simplified copy of his fathers. Two black horns extended with a T shape cut out so that he can see. He also had Crimson Red eyes. Resting above the small pod, was a D._

"Let them slaughter each other."_ He said deceivingly._

"A deceptive nature like your will always be handy to wage war, Deception."_ The God of War said._

_The six children each eyed the other before the God of War spoke again._

"But the time has come to create a war that will fuel me for eternity. A war that you six will begin with six large powers. Divide and conquer my children, and begin the third world war."_ The God of War said sinisterly._

* * *

_Dick faced the team as Black Canary walked past them. He was wondering who she'd pick to have spar against him. He was hoping to have a go at one of the bigger hitters like Superboy or Miss Martian, hell his mental abilities could do with a workout._

"Superboy."_ Canary said sternly, watching as he stepped out onto the holographic ring._

_Dick studied Superboy's build. He knew he was strong, but he was unsure of what Superboy's full capability was. He needed to adapt quickly to fight this back. And he'd decided that he wouldn't tap into any of his powers unless it absolutely necessary._

"Remember, try not to kill each other."_ Canary said with warning._

_Dick and Superboy nodded before standing ready to fight._

"Initiating training exercise. Phoenix B-0-9, Superboy B-0-5. Begin"_ Came the female computer voice._

_Dick launched his body forward, he aimed to get the first attack in first. Offset Superboy's balance._

_Moving quickly, he watched as Superboy threw a punch. Using his training from Artemis back on Themyscira, Dick moved to the side, grabbing Superboy's arm and quickly throwing his own punch._

_The sound of metal hitting flesh echoed through the chamber as Dick's fist made contact with Superboy's cheek. The two eyed each other closely, each waiting for the other to make a move. After several tense seconds, Superboy launched forward, fist raised._

_Dick quickly recalculated his position and caught Superboy's fist, flipping him over to the ground. The impact echoed through the chamber before an X appeared._

"Again."_ Canary said._

_Dick and Superboy quickly took up positions again. This time, instead of moving first, Dick decided to play the defensive and see what Superboy could truly do._

_He stepped to the side and quickly dodged Superboy's attacks. His eyes watching as every fruitless punch failed to make contact._

_Dick knew that he had an unfair advantage, having been trained by the Amazons, so he decided that he'd need to help Superboy. He knew things that Superman couldn't do. Fighting in hand to hand combat without relying on your superpowers was one of the things he couldn't do. Thus Dick knew what Superboy needed to learn._

_Dodging another blow, Dick quickly moved forward, grabbing Superboy's arm and swiping his legs out from under him._

"Computer, end exercise."_ Canary said as she walked over._

_Superboy groaned as he got up and walked away. Dick watched with interest._

"Wow, I've never seen anything like that."_ Artemis exclaimed._

_Dick noticed that Robin seemed to remain quite, like he had seen those moves before. Which caused questions to raise. But he ignored them and turned back to see the hallway Superboy walked down._

"How often does he do that?"_ Dick asked._

_The Team glanced at each other._ "Quite often."_ Jessica answered._

_Dick nodded._ "I'm going to talk with him."_ He said._

_Artemis blinked._ "Not a good idea."_ She said._

_Dick turned to face her and flashed a smile._ "Hey, if I can take on some superpowered villains, I'm sure I can handle this, besides, I think I know the cause of this anyway."_ Dick replied and walked away._

* * *

_Dick found Superboy sitting on the beach, his eyes drawn to the sky. He looked so lonely sitting alone, and Dick, he couldn't stand that. He wondered, just what had Superman done to cause this._

"You know most people don't usual follow me when I leave training."_ Superboy said._

_Dick smiled._ "Well, I'm not most people."_ Dick replied and sat down next to him._

"Why did you follow me?"_ Superboy asked._

_Dick looked into the sky._ "Because I think I know how to help your little Superman issue."_ He answered._

_Superboy blinked and turned to face Dick._ "How?"

_Dick chuckled._ "Well, let's just say that I've worked alongside him to know what he's good at, and what's he's terrible at. So, what if you were to become good at what he couldn't. You can't fly, but you can jump far, Superman can fly and thus, when faced with tough foes who have good hand to hand combat, like Batman or Robin, he would flee. But if he was caught in a situation where he couldn't he'd be disadvantaged."_ Dick said._

_Superboy raised an eyebrow._ "And how's this going to help?"_ He asked._

"Think about, if you could fight against multiple foes with good hand to hand combat, then that'd make Superman jealous. But also, if someone else starts teaching you, he may become overprotective. Because if my Gut feeling is right, he does care for you, he's just too stubborn to admit it."_ Dick said._

"So, that's your solution?"_ Superboy asked._

_Dick nodded._ "Off course, I'll be having talks with him too. Like Batman does, only, I'll be a bit more aggressive."_ Dick replied._

_Superboy smirked._ "And so, why do you wear that mask?"_ He asked._

_Dick chuckled._ "Wonder Woman doesn't want anyone to know who I am. So I wear this. But it's also important. It's what allowed me to lift you with ease. Ares embrewed it with some of his power so that I have super strength."_ Dick responded. He then smirked._ "And also, don't tell anyone, not even Wonder Woman this, but I'm really Richard 'Dick' Grayson-Prince."_ With a smile, Dick left. Superboy to his thoughts._

"Richard 'Dick' Grayson-Prince, who would've thought that an artists adopted son had such wisdom and knowledge."_ Superboy muttered to himself before heading back inside._

* * *

**Character development between Dick and Superboy, with Superboy being entrusted with Dick's secret identity.**

**References in this chapter.**

**Wonder Woman as an artists. In the live action Justice League film, Wonder Woman is seen carving a statue of what can be assumed to be a Greek God or famous Greek hero.**

**Each of the six children's appearances are nearly identical to the appearances of Robin(Damian Wayne), Nightwing, Starfire, Raven in her demon form, Cyborg and Beast Boy from the Teen Titans animated films, that is Teen Titans vs Justice League and Teen Titans: The Judas Contract.**


	3. Comfort

_The city was large, vast. Yet to modern for his liking. The lack of Greek architecture hurt his eyes. He'd shifted his appearance so that he didn't draw attention. Now, instead of red eyes, he green. While he once had no hair, he now had short black hair. His outfit had been replaced, the dark deep blue and black was gone. In it's place was a black business outfit. A white shirt and a tie. He also had a new name. While he was Manipulation at heart, he was Jackson James to the world. And for him, it was time to start living up to his name. It was time, to manipulate Australia's governments into gathering their forces for war._

* * *

_Dick sat alone in Mount Justice's living quarters. He was given a small room to use while he was here. So he turned it in a small away room from the Watchtower. He had Greek art and sculptures placed inside along with a wall of weapons. His shield rested upon a shelf above the head of his head, so did his sword. Laying on the bed was his lasso._

_He sat on his shins, hands upon his knees with his eyes closed. His mind reflecting over his life on Themyscira._

* * *

**:Themyscira-7 years ago:**

_Dick sat upon his bed, in his hands was a photo of his parents and him smilling brightly. The red and gold of their outfits tops glimmered in the photos light. But he held it because he needed to see them again. It'd been a year since he lost them. And today was the day they died._

"Why did you have to die?"_ He asked his parents in the image sadly. A silent tear rolling down his cheek._

_He clutched the image closer to his chest, tears coming down faster now. Memoires of his parents coming back to him._

_His chest hurt, the tears came quicker now. Rolling down his face as he cried. _

_The door to his room opened, and Diana entered. She saw the fragile state Dick was in. It broke her heart to see him like this._

_She walked over to him and pulled him into a gentle embrace._ "Shush young one. It'll all be ok."_ She said soothingly. Gentle stroking the back of his head._

"Why did they have to die?"_ Dick asked._

_Diana glanced out the window._ "I don't know."_ She replied. Holding Dick close to her chest. _

_Her eyes were drawn out to where other Amazons trained or helped the younger generations. Her mother walked along with the six year old Donna Troy. But the one thing that stood out to her, was that none of them ever had to experience what Dick had._

"I want to see them. I want to feel them loving embrace again."_ Dick said between sobs_

_Diana continued to keep him close. Gently rocking him._ "I know Richard, I know."_ She said calmly. Her eyes sweeping his room until they found one of his cherished belongings._

_Slowly breaking the embrace, Diana walked over and picked it up. A small Elephant that according to his parents, stood for hope and love. Dusting it off, she walked back over to Dick._

_Kneeling down, she looked into Dick's eyes._ "Richard, you're parents loved you. I know I can't replace them. But I'm not telling you to forget it either."_ She placed her left hand upon his shoulder._ "It will forever haunt you. But you can come to terms with there death."_ Diana continued. She gently lifted the Elephant up._ "You told me that this Elephant stood for hope and love. Let it's love remind you of your parents, but let it's hope drive your future so that you can still find joy in life."_ She said._

_Dick slowly reached out and grasped it. With trembling hands, he brought it close to his chest and hugged it tightly, tears rolling down his cheeks fast. _"Thank you."_ He said sadly._

_Diana quickly brought him back into an embrace, allowing him to slowly calm down._

* * *

**Present**

_Dick allowed a tear to roll down his cheek and a sad smile to form upon his lips at the memory. It was the first of many comforting memories he'd have with Diana that would forever remain in his mind._


	4. Welcome to Australia

_Mount Justice was silent. Dick sat with The Team within their lounge._

"Can we find anything interesting to watch on TV?"_ Jessica asked, boredom clear in her voice._

_Dick shrugged his shoulders._ "I don't know Jessica."_ He replied from his spot, a sketchpad in hand as he sketched something._

"Well, I want to watch something good sometime in the near future."_ Artemis complained._

"Recognised Wonder 0-2."_ The computer announced._

_Dick quickly got up and rushed out of the room, his sketchpad resting upon where he sat._

"He's quick to greet Wonder Woman."_ Wally said, his gaze lifting to see the reaction of his teammates._

"I believe there is a deeper connection between Phoenix and his mentor then there is between our mentors and us."_ Aqualad said._

_Superboy quickly moved from his position on the wall._ "I think Phoenix was raised by Wonder Woman."_ He said._

_The Team glanced at each other, intrigued as to how deep the connection between Wonder Woman and Dick went._

_The computer announced The Dark Knight's arrival._ "Recognised Batman 0-1"

_The Team raised an eyebrow before heading out to the central chamber._

* * *

_The Dark Knight stood tall, his face remained expressionless. Eyes sweeping over The Team.__ Almost as if he was analysing them, looking for any sign of weakness among their ranks. A somewhat tense silence was present, an eerie atmosphere that always seemed to cover the bat themed hero._

"This will be a covert mission."_ The Dark Knight began, eyes falling upon Wally and Robin._ "Which means you won't be needing your suits for a majority of the mission."_ He went on._

_Phoenix sighed and glanced at Wonder Woman who gave a small nod of reassurance, confirming that he didn't need to break the rule she'd placed down for him._

"This is Australia."_ The Dark Knight said as he brought up an image of the location. It's shape, unforgettable._ "While they maintain a strict policy of peace with no intentions of igniting a war themselves, they have recently shown hostile behaviour towards both allies and trade partners."_ The Dark Knight continued._ "We suspect that someone is controlling the Australian government from within. Somehow convincing them to forget their allies and trade partners and seek out a status as the one true ruler of Earth."_ He finished._

_Dick narrowed his eyes, he'd gotten a pretty good knowledge of politics from his upbringing on Themyscira. He knew that Australia was still under the rule of England's Queen, and that Australia was ran by a Prime Minister, selected by the people itself. One who represented the peoples best interests. But he knew that Australia's people weren't war mongers, they were a peaceful bunch, which caused his mind much confusion._

"You want us to figure out who's behind this sudden change in view."_ Dick said, eyes locked upon The Dark Knight._

_The Dark Knight turned to face Dick. _"Correct."_ The Dark Knight replied, his eyes falling upon The Team once more._ "The mission may take a month to complete, as such, one of the league's funders, Gotham Cities billionaire, Bruce Wayne, has organised for you to stay at one of his hotels in Melbourne."_ The Dark Knight said._

_The Team nodded._

"Dismissed."_ The Dark Knight said._

_Dick turned to follow his team before Wonder Woman spoke._ "Phoenix, remember, you're stuffs on the Watchtower."_ She said._

_Dick nodded._ "Yeah, I've just got to fetch my sketchpad."_ He said before breaking into a light jog._

* * *

"Recognised Batman 0-1, Wonder Woman 0-2, Phoenix B-0-9"_ The computer announced._

_Dick moved fast, heading to his room. Wonder Woman not far behind._

_Dick entered the inside and quickly set about packing his stuff. Darkish red shirts, dark blue pants, white jackets, his sketchpad. They all went into his bag._

"How are you feeling Richard?"_ Wonder Woman asked as she entered the room._

_Dick sighed and sat down._ "Honestly, I don't know. Right now, I feel fine."_ He replied._

_Wonder Woman smiled gently._ "And your thoughts on The Team?"_ She asked._

_Dick rubbed the back of his neck._ "I've got mixed feelings on them. Jessica and Superboy, they're my best friends on The Team. Miss Martian, she's ok, still getting use to her. Aqualad, he and Robin seem to be the most respectful, Wally, he's annoying and Artemis, I'm not sure about her. We seem to have so much in common."_ Dick said._

_Wonder Woman nodded and pulled out a pair of shades._ "Well, I got you these for the mission. Keep your identity hidden."_ She said, handing them over to Dick. She turned to leave, but paused at the door._ "And Richard, I know you told Superboy your identity."_ She said._

_Dick widen his eyes and glanced up._ "How?"_ He asked_

_Wonder Woman smirked._ "I have my ways. But Richard, it was a good choice, he needs a friend, a mentor of sorts. I know you'll succeed where Batman has failed."_ She said, winking at Dick as she left._

_Dick smirked. 'You always were supportive of me and others.' He thought._

* * *

_The Team slowly walked down the streets of Melbourne. They had dropped their stuff off at their rooms at the Martha Wayne Hotel. Which was named after the late Martha Wayne, mother of Bruce Wayne. A sister hotel, named the Thomas Wayne Hotel rested in Sydney. Dick was pleased at the room placement. He was placed with Superboy, allowing them to speak freely with each other. Wally was placed with Aqualad while Robin got his own room. Artemis and Jessica were placed together and Miss Martian on her own._

_Dick slowly came to a stop outside the Melbourne Museum. His eyes swept over the glass decorations._

"What's got you intrigued?"_ Artemis asked, coming to a stop by his side._

_They been split into teams of two to get an idea of Melbourne for the day before they began their search the next day. He'd been placed with Artemis. Wally was with Jessica, Robin with Aqualad, and Miss Martian with Superboy._

"History has always fascinated me, I'm curious as to see Australia's history and what it has to offer in terms of knowledge."_ Dick replied._

_Artemis raised a eyebrow._ "Why don't you read about online?"_ She said._

_Dick rolled his eyes._ "It's sometimes better to hear it from a museum then online, tends to be accurate then it is online."_ He replied._

_Artemis shrugged her shoulders and followed Dick inside._

* * *

_Wonder Woman quickly walked down the halls, her eyes locked upon the man she was after._

"Bruce!"_ She called out to The Dark Knight who turned to face her._

"Diana?"_ He asked._

"We need to talk."_ Diana said as she came to a stop by his side._

"About what?"_ Bruce asked._

_Diana raised an eyebrow._ "Us, our relationship."_ She answered._

_Bruce nodded and the two kept walking._

"What about it?"_ Bruce asked as they turned a corner._

"With it's current nature, can we afford to keep it hidden from Richard and Tim, or my mother for that fact?"_ She asked._

_Bruce pondered the thought for a while. He thought about the pros, the cons, the many outcomes, the effects it may have, the results, the unknown variables that affected them. Every reaction. He did have to admit, they were numerous, perhaps far to many for him to count alone. But what truly caught him in a loop, was how it would affect the boy the he failed to adopt, the five year old child who lost their parents that faithful night. The child who was younger then him, a child, who he left in the orphanage because his duties as Batman, the head of Wayne Tech and being the adoptive father of Tim weighed him down heavily. It was somewhat ironic, that someday, he might become the boys adopted father through marriage._

"I'm not sure."_ He replied._

_Diana stopped and stepped in front of him._ "All that thought, and that's all you could reply with, come on Bruce. You must've gone through ever single thing in those few minutes."_ She began._ "Because I, for one, would like to tell Richard and Tim about our relationship."_ She finished._

_Bruce sighed. _"We can tell them when they return from the mission."_ He replied._

_Diana smirked and walked away, but not without a kiss on Bruce's lips._

* * *

_The Team gather together within their private dining room. They each sat next to who they spent the day with. As such, Dick sat next to Artemis. While she sat to his right, Superboy sat to his left._

"The Aquarium was intriguing to see."_ Aqualad said._

_Robin nodded in agreement._ "And seeing some of the older courts was interesting as well."_ He added._

_Aqualad turned to face Wally and Jessica._ "And you two?"_ He asked._

_Wally smirked._ "Science works was cool."_ He said._

_Jessica rolled her eyes. _"You spent most of our time their messing around in the kids section."_ She said, annoyance was clear in her voice._

_Wally turned to face her._ "I'm sorry miss Earth defender that I love to test things."_ He snapped back._

_Jessica looked away from him._ "Well, at least walking around Melbourne was more intriguing then seeing you race around doing stupid physic tests."_ She replied._

_Aqualad quickly glanced over to Superboy and Miss Martian._ "Superboy, Miss Martian?"_ He asked._

_Superboy smirked._ "We just walked around, visited some shops, but that's mostly it."_ He replied._

_Aqualad quickly looked at Dick and Artemis. _"Phoenix, Artemis?"_ He said._

_Artemis leaned back in her chair._ "We spent almost the whole day at a museum."_ She said, somewhat annoyed._

_Dick chuckled._ "But we did learn a lot about Australia, and you had fun, don't deny it."_ He said, almost teasing her._

_Aqualad smirked._ "It's nice to see us all getting along, but tomorrow, we begin the search."_ He said._

_Dick nodded, his mind drifting into his thoughts, wondering how a truly beautiful place could seethe with such hostility so suddenly. It was a mystery to him, one that he planed to solve._


	5. War Training

_Dick glanced around the small area, his eyes falling upon a young man, short black hair, he was around his age. Green eyes, fait skin. He wore a small blue jacket with dark blue jeans. He wore an orange T shirt, but that was about it. He was, familiar, like he'd seen this man before. Like in a vision granted to him by the gods. He wasn't sure how long ago that was, but he watched with interest as the man vanished into a large crowd._

"You're distracted."_ Artemis said, nudging Dick with her elbow._

_Dick shook his head._ "Just observing the crowd."_ He said, turning to follow her down the street._

* * *

**:Domain of Ares:  
:6 years ago:**

"Richard, I must warn you. My brother isn't one to take lightly."_ Diana began._ "He will attempt to pry his way into your memories, to manipulate you in fighting, so that he may fuel himself."_ She continued._

_Dick raised an eyebrow._ "Why's that so bad?"_ He asked._

_Diana sighed. Trying to explain to a seven year old about the nature of Ares was something that she wished her mother did instead._ "Ares isn't a good guy. He's the God of War, that means death, violence, blood, things that we want to stop from happening."_ She began again._ "Things that we want to avoid generally."_ She finished._

_Dick blinked._ "So why are we heading to see him?"_ He asked with a little fear._

_Diana turned and bent down to Dick's eye level._ "Because as the gods chosen champion, you are required to train under each of them, learn how they work, and get to know them. They're also your family, don't forget that."_ She said._

_Dick nodded. _"What should I do to keep him out?"_ He asked._

_Diana placed a hand upon his shoulder._ "Keep you mind closed off. And if he does break in, think of something lovely, like a flower, or love, it will keep my brother down."_ She began, slowly standing up._ "And besides, I'll be there to keep an eye out incase he does attempt to do something that he shouldn't."_ She finished._

* * *

**:Melbourne-Australia:  
:Present:**

_Dick glanced back over his shoulders, keeping an eye out for anything out of place. He watched as a group of men walked towards them, he narrowed his eyes as he saw the weapons. He was glad he decided to wear his braces beneath his clothing._

"You're not from Australia."_ One of them said._

_Dick rolled his fist, watching as they drew pistols._

"And we don't like people from outside."_ Another said._

_In an instant, one had fired at Artemis. Dick charged forward, bringing his brace up, blocking the bullet. He glanced at the others, watching them with keen eyes. He wasn't wearing his boots, so he wouldn't be able to move fast enough to protect the whole team. He then noticed the police arrive. But something was wring, and Dick could tell that just by looking at them, they were blank, expressionless, not caring about them._

"You're under arrest."_ An officer said._

_Dick glanced at Aqualad._ "You speaking to us?"_ He asked._

_The officer nodded._ "Surrender."_ He said._

_Dick looked at the others and with a few well placed kicks and punches, he'd taken down their attacked._

"Why'd you do that?"_ Wally asked, his hands motioning towards the unconscious officers and men._

_Dick rolled his eyes_ "Something's wrong. Citizens shouldn't have been able to get their hands on those weapons, and the cops shouldn't have attempted to arrest us."_ He answered._

_Aqualad looked at Wally._ "Phoenix is right, this shouldn't be. Something terrible is going on. And we need to find out who or what is causing it."_ He added_

_Wally rolled his eyes._ "Well next time, try talking first instead of violence."_ He spat back._

"STAND DOWN!"_ An officer said.  
_

_Dick glanced behind him._ "I've got an idea."_ He said._

_Robin glanced at him._ "What's that?"_ He asked._

_Dick ran._ "RUN!"_ he said._

* * *

**:Domain of Ares:  
:6 years ago:**

_Dick stepped back as Ares swung down with his sword, he hadn't been prepared for this. He moved to the side, watching as The God of War attempted to impale him with his blade._

"To defeat your foe, you must be headstrong, fast, brutal."_ Ares_ _paused__._ "Dirty."_ He said with a smirk._

_Dick slowly backed up, watching as The God of War leapt into the air. He dived to the side, avoiding the fatal strike._

"Do not run, do not cower."_ Ares went on, moving to strike again._ "Do not flee."_ He said._

_Dick blinked before he rolled to the side, avoiding another fatal strike._

"Let the flow of the battle fuel you, let it become a song, a dance of danger."_ Ares continued, moving in on Dick._ "Let it flow through your blood, attune your body to it's natural feel."_ He said._

_Dick ran forward, Ares behind him._

"That is the Art of War. It is a game of tricks and treats. A gem to top the mountain of all riches."_ Ares finished, slamming his blade down into the ground before Dick. _"Take what you learn, harness it into your game, adapt to it, manipulate it, let it become hatred, anger, rage. Let it become deceptive, let it become vengeful. War is a game of cards that must be played right, and when you know its game. You know how to be the best player in it."_ Ares added. Putting his sword back upon his belt._

* * *

**:Melbourne-Australia:  
:Present:**

_Dick came to a stop with the others, he was pretty sure they had evaded and lost their pursuers. Dick leaned against the brick wall behind him, catching his breath. _"It's been a long time since I've had to catch my breath."_ He said._

_Artemis glanced up._ "We've got company."_ She announced._

_Dick turned to face the direction she was looking. His eyes fell upon the young man he'd seen earlier._ "You followed us."_ He said._

_The man nodded slightly, walking over towards Dick. It was now that Dick got a good look at him, he was slightly taller then him, a few inches at most, but he was most definitely the same age as him, if not a few months older. He could see the strong jaw, the small muscles, his acrobatic body, he was almost an exact replica of him._

"You're the young heroes from America."_ He said, his voice sharp, early signs of a natural born leader._ "And I'm guessing you here to discover what's caused Australia to become so messed up."_ He finished strongly._

_Dick nodded._ "You're smart."_ He said._ "Names Phoenix."_ He finished._

_Aqualad looked at Dick who nodded._ "My names' Aqualad, that is Superboy, Miss Martian, Artemis, Robin, Green Lantern Jessica Cruz and Kid Flash."_ He said, introducing The Team._

_The man nodded._ "My names Kevin, Kevin Edward. I'm a native here who's seen a lot during my time on the streets. But here's what you need, you need a guide, one who knows this land. I can give you that guide, in return, I want to help take down whoever's behind this sudden change in government."_ He said._

_Aqualad nodded._ "Very well, but are you sure you can guide well to find out where this is happening?"_ He asked._

_Kevin chuckled._ "My family has lived upon this land since before the first boats arrived, we know the land like the back of our hand, and an Atlantean in Australia is very uncommon, especially one like me."_ He answered, leading them away._

* * *

**A different view on Kevin Edward. I always wanted to explain his origins in some sort of interesting fashion. In the past, I mention he's Australian, but leave it at that. Well no more. It's stated that he's got Indigenous blood, but also Atlantean, the latter being exclusive to the universe that this story is set in.**

**Some more Diana and Dick bonding before the training with Ares. The next set of flashbacks is with Artemis(Greek Goddess version) and Apollo.**


	6. Phoenix vs Soldiers

_The group slowly came to a stop as they caught their breath, each of them glanced at each other before Kevin looked at his small home._

"It isn't much. But it works."_ Kevin said, sitting down in the lonely chair close by a small desk._

"So, where exactly do we start looking?"_ Jessica asked, slipping her lantern ring onto her ring finger, the green glow surronding her body as she feels her will give her power._

_Kevin Looked at his map of Australia._ "Well."_ He began, picking up a few rusty blue darts._ "The government likes to keep their top secret operations hidden from the puplics view."_ He continued, throwing three of the darts at the map._ "I've found those three locations. Top secret facilities belonging to Lex Corp, producing either weapons or advancing technology."_ He said, picking up rusty red darts._

_Dick narrowed his eyes._ "Any other locations you've found?"_ He asked, observing the map._

_Kevin smirked and threw four darts at the map._ "Four military grounds, each spread out on the outside of this valley here."_ He said, throwing a rusty green dart at the valley._

_Aqualad crossed his arms._ "Does the valley have any importance to the military or government?"_ He asked._

_Kevin sighed._ "Unfortunately I have no idea. I haven't been able to find the time to investigate. What I do know, is that The Hive has a base of operations nearby as well."_ He paused, picking up a rusty yellow dart._ "Located right around here."_ He finished, throwing the dart at the map._

_Dick raised an eyebrow._ "I've had dealings with The Hive before, they seem to be just moving and gathering stuff, acting as a storage group for other villains."_ He stated._

_Robin walked forward and glanced over the map._ "I've traced two possible locations for the government to be operating from with their armies. Here, and here."_ He points at two locations._

_Aqualad uncrossed his arms._ "Well have to split up. Phoenix, take Artemis, Kid Flash and Kevin and investigate the sight to the north."_ He commanded._

_Dick nodded before he quickly spun around,. His civilian clothes changing into his costume. The others quickly followed suit, leaving and then returning later in their costumes._

* * *

**:Metropolis:  
:Prince homestead-7 years ago:  
**

_Dick stood beside Diana within the art studio. His eyes sweeping over the many art tools neatly placed along the room's far wall. The white of the room clashed with the smooth wooden floor of their home._

"You ready to learn some art Richard?"_ Diana asked, her right hand had been resting gently upon Dick's left shoulder._

"Yes!"_ Dick replied with extreme excitement._

_Diana smiled and lead him over to a desk._ "Sit down while I gather a few things."_ She said._

_Dick nodded and sat down, his eyes sweeping over the very few bits of art and small portraits of heroic Greek figures._

_Diana soon returned and placed down a few pieces of paper and some pencils._ "Draw whatever comes to your mind Richard."_ She said._

_Dick smiled and quickly started to draw. After around five minutes, he placed the pencil down and smiled proudly._ "I finished it."_ He said, holding it up for Diana to see._

_Diana smiled._ "It looks good Richard."_ She said, smiling at the image he'd drawn. __She could make out her in it, in her Wonder Woman outfit, but the figure next to her, it made her smile on the inside. Dick had drawn himself in an outfit somewhat similar in colour scheme but different in terms off appearance._

"I want to fight by your side one day."_ Dick said, eyes wides with hope._

_Diana chuckled._ "Maybe one day you will."_ She replied, pinning Dick's drawing upon a section of a wall marked Richard's Art, next to her own section._ "And who knows, maybe one day, we'll fight side by side as members of the Justice League."_ She added._

* * *

**:Australia:  
:Remote location-present:**

_Dick slowly came to a stop as he eyed the area. His eyes alert for anything potential danger. Kevin had dressed in what he called, his combat outfit. Artemis and Wally kept an eye behind them. He crouched down before he heard a twig snap, he glanced at the others._ "Did any of you snap a twig?"_ He whispered._

_The three shook their head before Dick heard voices. They were coming closer to them, soldiers, no doubt on patrol._ "You three, keep an eye out, I'm going to take out the oncoming patrol."_ He whispered._

_Before the others had a chance to stop him, Dick had already moved, sneaking along the bushes, keeping out of sight of the patrol. He narrowed his eyes, counting his foes. He counted a dozen soldiers, each armed with an automatic rifle. He had to be careful and quick._

_He silently counted down, waiting till he could ambush them. '3. 2. 1.' He mentally counted before leaping out with a battle cry. His fist made contact with the first soldier, taking him out of the fight. He spun around quickly, facing the remaining eleven soldiers._

"FIRE!"_ Their commander yelled._

_Dick smirked and quickly moved his left hand to his back, he felt the smooth metal of his shield's handle upon his finger tips, the shield he was given by Poseidon. He brought it down before him, the shield taking the bullets fired at him. He smirked as he heard the sound of gunfire stop. He lifted his head up to see the eleven soldiers reloading. _

_In a quick motion, he flung his shield forward, the circular object knocking three his foes to the ground. While his foes were distracted, he ran forward, using his bracelets to deflects several rounds fired from the commanders pistol. _

_He quickly ducked down, bringing his legs out as he swiped a soldier's legs out form under them, he leapt into the air, his left hand grasping his shield before he came down, knocking the soldier out cold._

_Five of his foes were down for the count, but he still had to be cautious, the remaining seven still posed a danger to him._

_Standing ready to fight, Dick kept his eyes narrowed as he focused upon the fight. He studied his foes stances, their positions, determining how to approach his foes, the sound of an arrow flying past caught his ear as a soldier grasped their shoulder in pain. _

_Dick cursed beneath his breath before charging forward, he moved with speed, leaping into the air once more before he flung his shield again, this time the defensive object buried itself into the ground before a soldier. Dick then came down, his right foot crashing into the head of the soldier. He then leapt backwards and dashed forward, his left hand grasping the collar of a soldier before he flung them into another._

_He counted the remaining foes. Four left ot deal with, he allowed a brief second to glance to his right to see Artemis ready to release another arrow._

_Dick kept still, watching with caution before he moved, his left hand grasping his shield before he brought it up, protecting himself from the oncoming bullets. He quickly turned, bringing his right foot up, the bottom of his boot connecting with the head of the commander. He smirked before watching as the remaining three were taken down by Artemis._

"I thought I asked you to stay back with the other two?"_ Dick asked, placing his shield upon his back._

_Artemis placed her bow upon her back and turned to face Dick._ "And miss out on the fun?"_ She began, tilting her head to the side._ "No thanks, besides, you did a number on those guys."_ She finished._

_Dick rolled his eyes._ "I had it under control."_ He replied, walking pass Artemis._

"It was twelve against one, not good odds."_ She said._

_Dick chuckled._ "For them."_ He replied smugly, stopping when Kevin and Wally emerged from the bushes._ "We must be close."_ He said, eyeing the unconscious soldiers._

_Wally widen his eyes at the sight before looking away. He noticed that Kevin just nodded at the Dick's handiwork._


	7. Captured

_Dick slowly came to a stop, his eyes scanning the clearing. He blinked a few times before he widen them._ "We're not alone."_ He said, drawing his sword and shield. _

_Jackson James emerges from the bushes, a large group of troops with him._ "Indeed outsiders. And I want you alive."_ He said. _

_Dick narrowed his_ eyes. "You're going to have to try better then that to capture us."_ He said._

_Jackson smirked. _"I know. That's why I summoned some help."_ He answered__._

_From the bushes, several more soldiers emerged, some with heavy weapons._

_Dick watched them with caution, his eyes sweeping over the large force of foes. His gaze quickly fell back upon Jackson, there was something familiar about him, something mythological, something Greek._ "Artemis, take Kevin and fall back, Kid Flash and I shall deal with this."_ He said, eyes never leaving Jackson._

_Artemis nodded and slowly backed away before turning to run. A gun fired, only for Dick to move quickly and intercept the bullet with his shield._

_Jackson smirked with interest. He was curious to see how far Dick had come in his training, yet he was more intrigued by the fact that he was now here, fighting among the heroes of the world instead of seeking a diplomatic approach to the world's issues. He waved his hand silently, watching as two darts quickly embedded themselves in the necks of both Dick and Kid Flash. _

_Artemis watched them fall to ground before Kevin spoke._ "We need to go now, find the others and regroup, least we suffer the same fate."_ He said._

_Artemis nodded and left, it took all her self-control to not turn around and run right back in. She didn't like the idea of running, but she had to do it. She promised herself that she'd be back for them._

* * *

_The room was dark when Dick opened his eyes, he felt the cold stone floor of the room. The room itself was small, but he could see blood spatters on the wall. He already didn't like the place. He allowed his eyes to sweep the room where they quickly fell upon the conscious form of Kid Flash. _"You ok?"_ Dick asked._

_Wally shrugged his shoulders. _"Been worse."_ He replied, leaning against the wall._

_Dick glanced towards the door, his eyes falling upon the small latch as it turned. He blinked as Jackson entered the cell and then closed the door behind him. _"I know you."_ Dick said._ "But from where?"_ He asked._

_Jackson chuckled as his eyes glowed red as he grinned._ "Do you cousin?"_ He asked._

_Dick widen his eyes as he was grabbed and forced against the wall._ "Which one are you?"_ He asked._

_Jackson smirked as he leaned in close to Dick's face._ "You can't tell from my handy work?"_ He asked with disappointment, dropping Dick to the ground as he turned around._ "I thought you were the observant one in the family."_ He went on. Watching with a smirk as Dick attempted to throw a punch. __He watched as Dick collapsed to the floor. _"The poison won't kill you."_ He said, turning around to face Dick. He then pulled him closer._ "It will only weaken you."_ He finished._

_Dick narrowed his eyes as Jackson walked towards Kid Flash._ "What do you want?"_ He asked._

_Jackson didn't bother turning his head to face Dick, instead, he bent down to face Kid Flash._ "To torture you senselessly."_ He answered. Forming a dagger in his hand._

_Dick blinked and then, he spoke._ "Torture me instead of him."

_Jackson turned to face Dick._ "You would give your body in favour of saving one who hates you?"_ He said._

_Dick nodded._ "I can take more pain."_ He said._

"Perfect."_ Jackson said with a grin._

* * *

_Artemis and Kevin came to a stop before the others. Aqualad eyed the two before he spoke. _"Where is Phoenix and Kid Flash?"_ He asked._

_Artemis closed her eyes._ "They were captured by the one in charge."_ She answered._

_Superboy glanced down before he spoke._ "We need to rescue them."_ He said._

_Artemis looked at Superboy and smiled. _

_Aqualad turned to face the others._ "Robin, Jessica, Miss Martian?"_ He asked. __The others nodded in response. Aqualad then turned to face Kevin._ "We need your knowledge of the land to guide us back to their base."_ He said._

_Kevin nodded._ "Right. Follow me then."_ He said._


	8. Manipulation Part 1

_Dick slowly rests against the wall. His eyes drawn across the few blood spatters on the ground, his blood. They were few, but it was still painful to look at. Wally had been silent the whole time, only watching as he'd taken Jackson's full attention during their time there. Something that Dick feels Wally should be grateful for, had he not been a jealous hero._

_The silence didn't last long however as Jackson soon entered their cell. However, Dick noticed that he was acting different. He didn't bother to form the knife or speak of something that he would do with his friends when he was done with him. He just stood there and glanced at them both._

_The room filled with tense, Dick wasn't sure what his cousin had planned. Or who which one of them he was. But there was something about him that just felt so familiar, the way he spoke. It was without care, like he was controlling others with just his words alone. And then, it hits him. He realised who Jackson was. The control freak who had no hands, Manipulation._

"Manipulation."_ Dick said, breaking the silence as he eyed Jackson closely._

_Jackson turned with a smirk, not one of love or care, but one of evil, one of sinister thoughts, one of darkness, of war._ "Oh ρίτσαρντ. You figured it out."_ He said with darkness in his tone._

_Dick narrowed his eyes._ "What do you want?"_ He asked._

_Manipulation smirked as he stepped towards_ _Dick._ "Oh, just a few things ρίτσαρντ."_ He said once more._

_Wally_ _blinked._ "What are you saying?"_ He asked, confused by the word that Manipulation sad when referring to Dick._

_Manipulation turned his head around_ _slightly._ "Just a word in Greek Kid Flash."_ He answered before turning to face Dick once more._ "And you my dear ρίτσαρντ, we have so much to talk about. You life on an island of woman, meeting the gods, meeting my father, our training period."_ He said, grabbing Dick by the chin roughly._ "So much to explore, to inform your pathetic friend of. Of who you truly are and why you're so gifted."_ He finished with a smirk._

_Dick kicked Manipulation back a few steps._ "If you think Zeus will let you speak freely of who am I. Then you're wrong."_ Dick replied._

_Manipulation sighed._ "Oh my dear ρίτσαρντ, he wouldn't care what happens to lowly mortal like you. He's too far above you to give a shit."_ He said._

_Dick smirked._ "You tricks won't work on me cousin."_ He said._

_Manipulation cracked his neck._ "So, what would happen if I said you had a girlfriend at a young age, someone called Donna Troy."_ He said._

_Dick narrowed his eyes._ "She is my bestfriend and sister. Do not call her my girlfriend you foul demigod."_ He spat back aggressively._

"One and the same, don't forget, you too are a foul demigod."_ Manipulation said with a grin._

"You'll find that I'm not a demigod Manipulation, but rather, I'm a champion of the gods. Two separate things altogether."_ Dick replied smugly._

_Manipulation shook with anger before he opened his mouth to speak._ "You time with the Amazons has left you mistrustful of man. You are blinded. A shame that I can't manipulate you into fighting against your friends. So be lucky that I won't do the same with your friends. Because none of them are of any use to me."_ He said before leaving. _

_Dick smirked as he looked at Wally._ "And that's how you piss of a demigod of war KF."_ He said._

_Wally raised __an eyebrow._ "I'm surprised he didn't just crush you in seconds."_ He replied._

_Dick chuckled._ "Manipulation is smart enough to draw the line, unlike some of his brothers."_ Dick replied._

* * *

_Artemis and the team slowly came to a stop before the large complex Their eyes widen as they see the mass of troops around the area._

"We won't be able to get inside."_ Miss Martian said, worry etched into her face._

_Superboy looked over the compound, his eyes scanning for anything of use._ "I can't see anything that could be useful to get inside."_ He said wit disappointment._

_Robin and Aqualad glanced at each other while Jessica, Kevin and Artemis watched the place closely._

"We could attempt to disguise ourselves as them."_ Artemis suggested._

_Kevin shook his head._ "Not with Lex Corp backing them up. Whoever's in charge is bound to have the place secured tightly. Even more tightly then the Australian Prison Complex."_ He replied. Gaining some concerned looks from the others. He chuckled._ "Don't worry, I tried to steal from the kitchen and storage rooms. It didn't go so well."_ He said, easing their concern._

"Well, we need to think of something, and fast."_ Jessica said, her eyes watching as a man left the main building._

"What can we do, Robin? Aqualad?"_ Kevin asked, eyeing the two team leaders._

_Aqualad and Robin glanced at each other briefly before something occurred to them._

"Artemis, Kevin, you two will free Kid Flash Phoenix, the rest of us will provide a distraction."_ Aqualad said._

_Artemis nodded._ "We'll be in as soon as you give the signal."_ She answered, heading out with Kevin._

_Superboy glanced at the_ _complex. _"Here we go."_ He said as the five started to head forward, ready to provide the distraction._

* * *

**ρίτσαρντ is Greek for Richard.**


	9. Manipulation Part 2

_Artemis and Kevin snuck through the compound quietly. Their eyes and ears alert for anything that could prove a danger to them. As the two turned a corner, they noticed a small troop of guards outside a door._

_Artemis narrowed her eyes and slowly drew back her bow, ready to unleash an arrow. Kevin reaching into his small belt and grabbed a small U shaped boomerang. The two nodded at each other and dived out from their cover, alerting the guards to their presence and taking a few of them down at the same time._

_Within the cell they stood guard at, Dick smirked as he heard the gunshots and slowly stood up. Wally watched as he cracked his fingers and then placed a hand upon the cell door._

"Aren't you injured?"_ Wally asked._

_Dick chuckled._ "There was a reason I wanted to take the pain."_ He said as he closed his eyes._ "Ares, God of War, give me strength."_ He whispered and with a mighty push, he had shoved the door of it's hinges and onto the ground, catching the guards off guard._

_Artemis and Kevin widen their eyes as the door was blown of the hinges and Dick stepped out._

"You're being manipulated."_ He said._

_The guards blinked and aimed their weapons at him. Dick sighed._ "Jackson James is not what he says he is. He wishes to start a third world war. And if you can draw anything from this, it's because he is one of the six children of Ares."_ He said._

_The guards Readied themselves to fire before the compound shook and a dark laugh echoed through the halls._ "What was that man?"_ One of the guards asked._

_Dick smirked._ "Manipulation unleashing his power upon those who came to find what was causing the sudden hostility."_ He answered._ "So I'm going to give you a choice. Join us and fight to preserve your people, or continue to fight for my cousin and ignite the third world war."_ He finished._

_The guards glanced at each other before lowering their weapons._ "We fight alongside you."_ Their captain said._

_Dick nodded._ "Then go and round up your fellow men, inform them that you've all been manipulated."

* * *

_Manipulation hovered in the air, his red eyes sweeping the area. He had long caused his sword hands to vanish. He glanced down at the defeated forms of the heroes who had dared to attack him. _"Such foolish nature to even consider fighting me. A Martian, a half Kryptonian, a half Atlantean, a Green Lantern and a mere boy. Do you heroes have anyone worthy of fighting?"_ He asked._

"Perhaps they do cousin."_ Dick said as he stepped forward. His eyes locked upon Manipulation._

"Cousin. Is it time for me to teach you a lesson?"_ Manipulation asked._

_Dick smirked._ "The other way around cousin."_ He replied._

_Dick put one foot in front of the other. He bent down slowly and lowed his hands to touch the ground, he glanced up at Manipulation and with a mighty battle cry, he leapt into the air fast, his eyes narrowed upon his target. With speed and strength, he punched Manipulation square in the chest, sending him flying into a nearby building._

_Dick landed upon the ground once more and glanced up to see Manipulation fly forward. His eyes narrowed._ "You will pay for that cousin."_ He yelled, and with speed, he fired several blasts of fire his hands._

_Dick raised his bracelets and blocked them with ease. He could feel the heat radiating of them, but he payed no mind to it. He then quickly tapped into the speed his boots granted him and raced fast, his movement appeared as a blur of dark red and dark blues with white thrown in the mix, like a speedster._

_Wally watched with amazement as Dick ran up the side of a wall and then leapt of it, kicking Manipulation into the ground._

_Manipulation groaned in pain before he stood up, only to be greeted by Dick's fist in his face. He barely had time to register the attack before he was greeted with an onslaught of punches._

_Artemis watched as Dick punched Manipulation hard, sending him flying into a wall. She heard the yell of rage as Manipulation flew into the air and then raced back down with speed. _

_Dick felt something burning inside him, a flame, like hellish fire. He felt the power rush down his right arm, an orange glow emitted from his right hand as it lit up with fire. He widen his eyes before narrowing them quickly. With a smirk, he stood ready and faced Manipulation, watching as his cousin flew straight towards him._

_Superboy slowly opened his eyes and leaned up, he widen them when he saw Dick standing ready to punch Manipulation, his right hand alight with fire. But it didn't harm him. He glanced to either side of himself and saw that his fellow teammates were also shocked at this development. He watched as Dick punched Manipulation hard, causing Manipulation to scream in pain and fall to the ground._

_Dick glanced down at Manipulation who rested upon his hands and knees._ "It's over cousin. You lost. There will be no world war."_ He said._

_Manipulation laughed and then lifted his head to face Dick, his body slowly fading into the air._ "This was only the beginning of the end. There will be a war. Two sides, the old and new. Fighting for control over the cosmos. And only one side will survive the slaughter."_ He said, vanishing into the air. Leaving The Team concerned at the recent development._


End file.
